Mary Helps Out.

A short story.

Photo by Beth Macdonald on Unsplash

“No problem. No Mary, it’s fine don’t worry, Jasper will deliver it for you.” Jasper raises his head from the shelves he is stacking and rolls his eyes at his mum. Why does she always say this? She is making promises again to please other people, taking Jasper away from his job in the shop. The business is going to be run into the ground at this rate. She doesn’t understand what it takes to keep it afloat. It isn’t running errands for old people that’s for sure.

Alison hangs up the phone and wipes her hands on the apron she insists on wearing, despite Jasper telling her umpteen times shop keepers didn’t wear aprons anymore. She fancies herself as an old style green grocer, when in fact this was 2023, people paid using their phones and brought their own reusable bags for goodness sake.